Trace flags are used to temporarily enable or disable specific SQL Server database functions, allowing you to change default database behavior or to observe hidden database behavior, and will remain in effect until they are either manually turned off or SQL Server is restarted. Keep in mind that most trace flags are undocumented and Microsoft […]

In this article, I want to tell you what should you know about some undocumented SQL Server 2000 trace flags, and how you can use them for administration and monitoring of SQL Server 2000.Trace flags are used to temporarily set specific server characteristics, or to switch on or off a particular behavior. You can set […]

If you have been a DBA for long, then you will know that performance tuning SQL Server is not an exact science. And even if it were, it would still be difficult to find the “optimal” configuration for the “optimal” performance. This is because there are few absolutes when it comes to performance tuning. For […]

Tell us a little about yourself.I’m the president of Intrinsic Design, Inc., a software company dedicated to writing database analysis software for Microsoft SQL Server. After receiving my electrical engineering degree from the University of Michigan back in 1989, I took that knowledge and entered the world of software development. Initially, the database world was […]

Find Out More About This Book From Amazon.com Carl Speshock has been a DBA in the Houston area for over 6 years, and is moving back to Oregon, although he will continue to maintain some presence in Texas. Most recently, he has consulted to Shell Oil Products USA and Shell Services International. In addition to […]

As you advance in your skills as a Transact-SQL developer, or SQL Server database administrator, there will come a time when you need to override SQL Server’s locking scheme and force a particular range of locks on a table. Transact-SQL provides you with a set of table-level locking hints that you can use with SELECT, […]

In this article, I want to tell you what should you know about some undocumented SQL Server 7.0 trace flags, and how you can use them for administration and monitoring.Trace flags are used to temporarily set specific server characteristics, or to switch on or off a particular behavior. You can set trace flags by using […]

You will find articles on this website, as well as others, advising you to avoid the use of temporary tables to maximize the performance of your queries. I agree with the articles, but would like to add that sometimes you cannot avoid the use of a temporary table. For those of you who have not […]